Lake Charles attorney Hunter Lundy hopes to be the second person from Southwest Louisiana elected as governor since Sam Houston Jones was elected at the state’s 46th governor.

Lundy, a personal injury attorney and one-time congressional candidate, is entering the contest for Louisiana governor, saying it’s time for a governor from Southwest Louisiana.

“I think I would be a good governor for the entire state, but I believe that Southwest Louisiana is due,” Lundy said Wednesday in a brief address to the Jeff Davis Parish Police Jury. “With the support of Calcasieu, Cameron, Jeff Davis, Allen, Beauregard and even cutting up Acadiana, I believe that there is a pathway to victory.”

Jones of Merryville was the last governor from Southwest Louisiana. He served from 1940-1944.

A former Democratic, Lundy said he plans to run as an Independent candidate in the October 2023 gubernatorial election. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards is unable to seek a third consecutive term due to term limits.

“I was a Democratic for years, but I got out of that party a number of years ago,” Lundy said. “Not that I had anything against anybody, but I felt like I had to do that.”

Lundy grew up in Calcasieu Parish and went to LaGrange High School. He began his college education at McNeese State University before transferring to Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., where he played football.

He earned his law degree from Mississippi College School of Law in 1980 and worked as a law clerk for Walter L. Nixon Jr., who was the U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi.

He later returned home to work at former governor Sam Jones’ law firm before opening his own law firm currently known as Lundy, Lundy, Soileau and South L.L.P in 1986.

“After 36 years I made the decision to leave the practice of law,” he said. “My call has always been to help people and I am going to try to do it at a different level.”

“I had four people independent of me suggest that I do this and the last one was my 90-year-old grandmother who told me my grandfather prophesied on me as a child that I would be governor. I said I think he’s just a proud grandfather, but I am doing it.”

“I think I have a little wisdom and the Bible says wisdom precedes understanding and knowledge,” he continued. “You see a lot of gray hair, but I think my genes are good and I have the strength to go do what I am going to do.”

As an attorney Lundy has litigated cases in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Ohio and all over the country

“I have had the benefit over the last 20 years to travel all over the world and have seen life at it’s best and life at its worst,” he said.

Lundy sees crime and education among the greatest problems in Louisiana.

“Education is such a challenge,” he said. “Ninety percent of our crimes are committed by kids that don’t have a high school diploma.”

Lundy described himself as a strict constitutionalist and a We The People guy who believes government has to come from down up. He is also pro-Life and pro Second Amendment.

“I like to tell people Cain killed Abel with a bad rock,” he said. “David killed Goliath with a good rock so I guess it was the rock, so we know it is not the gun and we have a Second Amendment to protect us from tyrannical government.”